American actress Leah Remini has announced her and husband Angelo Pagan are divorcing after 21 years of marriage.
In a joint Instagram post, the King of Queens star said the decision came after “a lot of thought and care” but they decided to part ways as they have “both changed” as people.
The couple, who share a daughter Sofia and have documented their lives in a number of TV documentaries and reality shows, said they hope to “inspire others to see that relationships — whether they change or end — aren’t failures”.
Alongside a photo of the pair in their early days and more recently, Remini wrote: “Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce.
“This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us.
“We are proud of how we have worked through this together. Yes, we’re sad, and we’ve got some figuring out to do as we continue to move forward into our new normal—together still in many ways, and apart in some new ones.
“But here’s the thing: we’ve been best friends for so many years. We are still celebrating holidays together, watching our favourite TV shows together, and gathering as a family.
“So, the big question— why? To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us any more.
“After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today.”
The actress said they feel their marriage is one to celebrate after creating “many beautiful memories” and producing their “incredible daughter”.
She explained they wanted to be transparent about the change in their relationship after being open about it over the years.
Their wedding in 2003 was captured in the documentary VH1 Inside Out: Leah Remini’s Wedding Special, with a following one released the year after to document the birth of their daughter.
“We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly,” she said.
“We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year.
“We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships — whether they change or end — aren’t failures. We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter.”
They signed off the statement by writing: “Love, Leah & Angelo.”
Remini is best known for starring as Carrie Heffernan in US sitcom The King Of Queens and as Vanessa Cellucci in Kevin Can Wait.
The actress has also been outspoken about her experience with The Church of Scientology and she won two Emmy Awards for her series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which explored her time with the organisation.
She filed a lawsuit against the organisation and its leader David Miscavige last year, saying in a statement that she had endured 17 years of “psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation” which had “significantly” impacted her life and career.
The Church of Scientology described the lawsuit as “ludicrous” and her allegations as “pure lunacy”.
